Doki Doki: New Experiences
by M1nceM3re84
Summary: Cross was just an ordinary BLADE, serving for humanity's survival on a planet known as Mira. One day, he discovers a strange project that sends him into the game "Doki Doki Literature Club". Through it, he will experience new scenarios previously unknown to him. Will he find romance? Or will he find something much more?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Note: I do not own either Xenoblade Chronicles X or Doki Doki Literature Club. All rights of Xenoblade Chronicles X and its characters long to Monolith Soft while all rights to Doki Doki Literature Club and its characters belong to Dan Salvato, along with some of the dialogue used in this story.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Prologue

"Go forward here, left turn at the next corner…" I say to myself as I navigate the hallways of underground BLADE Barracks, while checking the map on my radar.

It was taking a while for me to navigate these hallways since these places were usually for the scientists and researchers, which meant that I didn't have much business being here in the first place. Thankfully, I didn't have much work assigned for me today. Just killing some indigens bothering a couple of BLADE out in Mira and fetching a few Miran materials for the requesters.

All things considered, it was an easy day. At least, easy enough where it was excusable for me not to do much work and not having my team leader Elma yell at me for it.

Yup, just another day for simple old Cross. Here on Mira, the world us humans are stuck on, fighting for our survival.

Right now I was trying to deliver the T-Ray Lights requested by Quentin, an engineer.

Lord knows these things took forever to find in Primordia...

As I turn the corner, I find the designated area to drop off the materials: Quentin's lab.

 _Finally…_

This place was in a rather secluded area of the facility, even more so than the other labs in the Barracks. Almost no one else, or hell no other room, was even near this place.

"Quentin? You there? I got your stuff." I yell out as I approach the lab. The door to the lab was already open, so I figured he'd already be in there.

No response.

After a few minutes, I stick my head into the room and look around. No sign of him.

I basically let myself in at this point to get a better look of the place. The lab was surprisingly dark and empty. Aside from the occasional clicks and beeps made by the room's still-active technology, the place looked near abandoned.

The most prominent thing that stuck out to me, however, was the piece of equipment in the corner to my right that was draped with a rather oversized cloth.

Curious, I drop the T-Ray Lights on a nearby tabletop and approach strange equipment. As I approach it, I notice it hooked up to a nearby computer system with a large monitor. A bit dusty though.

I wipe off some of the dust from the computer table and keyboard while removing part of the cloth from the equipment to get a better look at it.

To my surprise, it was a Skell cockpit, albeit a bit modified. The seating and the control handles still looked intact, but there was a rather strange circular device attached to the head view of the cockpit seating.

I place my hand on one of the arm handles for support as I lean in closer to examine the strange head device. It looked like an oversized visor attached to a cut off part of one of the battle helmets us BLADE soldiers use in combat. Both of which were connected to the top part of the Skell cockpit seating. Along with that were a vast number of wires connecting to the computer system from the back of the head device.

As I move my hand a bit on the arm handle, I feel and notice a sticky note attached to it...

"PROTOTYPE"

...prototype? What the hell was this thing-

… _!_

Before I could continue my thinking, a sudden eletrical shock took me by surprise, followed by a large headache suddenly. An unbearable one at that. So much so that my vision became all blurry, almost as if my consciousness was losing itself.

I clutch my head in pain and yell in anguish before kneeling to\\\on the floor, then finally collapsing. My mind was slowing ceasing until my consciousness was no more.

All I could see now was darkness…


	2. Chapter 2: Oki Doki?

**Note: I do not own either Xenoblade Chronicles X or Doki Doki Literature Club. All rights of Xenoblade Chronicles X and its characters long to Monolith Soft while all rights to Doki Doki Literature Club and its characters belong to Dan Salvato, along with some of the dialogue used in this story.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Oki Doki?

 _What the hell?_

I open my eyes and saw that I was still laying on the floor. But it wasn't the hard, steel floor of the lab from before. It was… black concrete?

I got up to examine my surroundings. Everything was….. different. I wasn't in the lab anymore, I was in some kind of neighborhood. The ones I sometimes see in the historical records about Earth. The houses looked more square, small, and confined compared to the large,spread out houses of the Residential District. Yet it still all looked so modern. Were these those Japanese houses Boze always talked about?

I soon took note of my appearance as well. I wasn't in my BLADE armor anymore, I was in some sort of grey uniform. Black pants, fancy shoes, a blazer, whit shirt, a tie…. It looked official like the suits Secretary Nagi always wore, but at the same time somewhat childish. Not as professional. I was also wearing a backpack for some reason.

Just where the hell was I?

"Cross!"

Before I could gather more of my thoughts, a voice yelled out to me.

I turn to the source of the yelling, to which I saw a girl running towards my direction. She was also wearing a grey uniform, albeit it being female tailored and one that looked a bit too small on her. Her most prominent features, however, were the red bow on her head and her peach, short hair.

Still in a bit of shock, I barely react when the girl finally comes to a stop in front of me.

"I overslept!" the girl cheerfully said almost immediately, trying to catch her breath "But I finally caught up to you!"

I didn't really know who she was or how she knew my name. Was she a Definian?

"...who are you?" I ask the girl.

Immediately, the girl starts to pout and push her index fingers together.

"That's mean, Cross! You shouldn't pretend you don't know who your childhood friend is…."

"Uh…"

The girl stomps her left foot, "It's me! Sayori! Just because we don't walk home together anymore doesn't mean you should forget about me, you meanie..."

Well more like I didn't know in the first place…

"Oh… sorry." I say, trying to make the situation less awkward.

Sayori beams up, "It's okay! Now c'mon! We need to get to school!"

School? Oh yeah, the place that I constantly hear the people of New LA talk about. They give education, I think. They also give people nicknames, like Phog being called "Spaceman".

Sayori grabs my wrist and pulled me alongside her for a bit until our walking paces matched.

"So, did you decide which clubs to join yet?" Sayori asks

"...clubs?"

"Yeah! You promised you were looking into joining a club this year!"

This day keeps getting weirder and weirder…

"I don't want you to be a closeted geek who stays inside all day playing video games and watching anime!"

Am I supposed to be this kind of loser?

"So which ones were you thinking about?" asked my apparent childhood friend

"Um…. I haven't….thought of any?"

I'm so lost…

To my surprise, however, Sayori jumped in joy.

"Oh good! In that case, you can join the Literature Club! I'm the Vice President y'know!"

"Oh, sounds cool. Uh, in that case, sure I'll join."

Sayori gives me a surprised expression, "You… mean it?"

"Sure. I'd love to check it out."

Sure I didn't know what the hell a Literature Club was, but it seemed harmless. Besides, I could just play along with all of this in the meantime while I figure out where the hell I was.

"Promise?" Sayori asks.

"Promise." I reply.

Sayori raises her pinkie finger "Pinkie promise?"

Am I being pranked or something?

I roll my eyes slightly before interlocking her pinkie with mine, "Pinkie promise."

Sayori jumps in excitement, "Yay! I'm so glad you're interested in joining! We've been looking to get new members! You really are a great friend!"

"Heh heh."

This Sayori girl's got a lot of excitement in her. It's almost contagious.

After a bit more walking, we finally arrive to the school, which was called "high school" (Never knew there were different levels of schools…). Inside the high school, we part ways as each of us get into our designated classrooms.

After (embarrassingly) finding my seat, I wait for a bit before a teacher came in and started lecturing.

 _Huh, so this is school._ I thought to myself _It's kinda like the lectures BLADE HQ likes to give sometimes. This'll be interesting…_

….

It was not interesting.

Time seemed to move fast, but at the same time it felt like things dragged on. The brief breaks between classes weren't that pleasant since they were only about five minutes each and threw us right back into the lectures right after they were over.

Though throughout the lessons, I couldn't help but notice someone in the near front constantly looking back in my direction. They looked like a brown haired girl with a white bow. Sometimes the stares went on for what seemed like minutes.

Whatever, it was probably nothing.

As I get up from my seat after the lecturing was finally over, a liitle exhausted, a familiar face appeared right in front of me, causing me to jump.

"Hey! The Literature Club's about to start! Are you ready?"

It was Sayori.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure. Lead the way." I respond.

Happily, Sayori leads me down the hall until we get to a set of doors identical to the classroom ones. The inside too looked exactly the same as the other classroom I was in, except there weren't that many students. Only three: a tall purpled haired girl, short pink haired girl, and…. a brown haired girl with a white bow.

The purpled haired girl made her way towards me as Sayori and I enter.

"Welcome to the Literature Club. It's a pleasure to meet you." said the purpled haired tall girl.

"Likewise." I respond back.

"You must be Sayori's friend." continued the tall girl "She talks so much about you, I recognized you almost immediately from her descriptions."

Weird since I've only been in this world for not that long, but okay.

The pink haired shortie throws a look of disgust at me, "Ugh, Sayori brought a boy? Way to ruin the atmosphere..."

Yeah, nice to meet you too.

The brown haired girl also stood up towards me, "Hi Cross! Welcome to the club!"

Wasn't she in my class?

"Thanks for showing interest in the club! We're glad to have you aboard! Let me introduce you to everyone else."

She gestures to the short girl,

"This is Natsuki."

Natsuki simply pouts and looks away from me.

She gestured to the tall girl, "That's Yuri."

Yuri makes a small bow at me and smiles at me. I smile back, which causes her to look away from me. She looked kinda red.

Then finally to herself,

"And, as you know, I'm Monika!"

So these are high school girls…. I'll admit, seeing them for the first time was weird. Matching uniforms, clubs…. Their young appearances reminded me of Lin, but at the same time they looked kinda like young adults.

"Nice to meet you all." I say with energy, to which everyone else smiled and noded in response.

As I say this, my eyes wander around the classroom until they fell upon a mirror in the back. Through it, I could barely make out my appearance….. and how different it wa-

"What are you looking at?" abruptly asked Natsuki.

"Huh?"

"If you want to say something, say it already." rudely exclaimed the shorty.

"Natsuki…" said Yuri

"Hmph."

Oh she must be a _blast_ at parties... Then again, I'm already used to this kind of behavior from the some of the other BLADEs I worked with before.

"Anyways, now that Cross is finally here, we can finally eat! I'll go get the cupcakes!" said Sayori rather excitedly.

"Hey wait a minute! I'm the one who made them! I should be the one to get them!" interjected Natsuki.

"Sorry! I get so excited sometimes!" said Sayori "I'll arrange the desks then!"

"I'll go make some tea." said Yuri as she threw a sideways glance at me before retrieving the materials.

"I'll have to fix a couple of things in my folders." said Monika "But in the meantime, feel free to relax and take a look around the classroom, Cross!"

As they were setting up, I turn my attention back to the mirror and walk my way towards it to see my reflection. I looked…. different. I look way younger, the battle scars on my face were gone, and, of course, I was wearing a uniform near identical to the rest of the students here. My build was also somewhat shrunk compared to my original body. I….must be looking like a high school student then. Just like them. I didn't know they all looked this young.

"It's great to see you again, Cross." Monika said to me, coming completely out of nowhere.

"Oh, you too." I lied, giving up on trying to question things and just going with the flow, while keeping my eyes fixated on the mirror. "Finished organizing your things?"

"Yeah, there actually wasn't a lot of stuff, haha." replied Monika "Anyways, I'm glad we're in the same class this year. Let's hope for the best!"

I turn to Monika and nod in response. In doing so, I end up getting a better look at her. The brown hair, the prominent white bow... She looked exactly like the girl who kept looking at me back in the last classroom.

"So what made you consider the Literature Club?" asked Monika.

"Well I haven't joined any clubs yet, and Sayori seemed really excited for me to join this one." I respond, still playing along.

"That's great! Happy to have you here. As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"

With that kind of enthusiasm, I was beginning to feel a bit reassured about my situation. Maybe these girls weren't so bad after all. Of course this could all just be a ploy set up by some kind of enemy and this is just making me an easy target for them to pick off, but I'm trying to be optimistic here.

"Monika's a great president!" interjected Sayori, who was partially finished with her task "She's popular, smart, and pretty! Don't you think so too, Cross?"

"Uh, well…." I stumbled a bit, honestly a bit flustered by the way Sayori described her.

"Sayori, please." Monika laughed "I'm not _that_ special! I'm just like the rest of you girls!"

"It's true, though! You're so smart, athletic, and talented!"

"Oh geez, you're embarassing me, Sayori!" Monika blushed

Sayori smiles back at me and Monika before continuing in rearranging the seats.

Monika turns to me, "With the way Sayori was talking about me, you might've been thinking 'why isn't this girl a member of some other major club'? To be honest, I can't stand all of the politics around the major clubs. It feels like nothing but arguing about the budget and publicity and how to prepare for events… I'd much rather take something I personally enjoy and make something special out of it. And if it encourages others to get into literature, then I'm fulfilling that dream!"

I nod in response, "If that's the case, then how come not that many people have joined yet?"

"We're still a new club…" Monika sighed "Not many people are very interested in putting out all the effort to start something brand new. Especially when it's something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature... You have to work hard to convince people that you're both fun and worthwhile."

Well you got me interested, so there's that.

"But it makes school events, like the festival, that much more important." proudly exclaimed Monika "I'm confident that we can all really grow this club before we graduate!" Monika turned to everyone else, "Right, everyone?"

"Yeah!" said Sayori.

"We'll do our best." replied Yuri.

"You know it!" exclaimed Natsuki.

"It looks like everyone is almost done." said Monika "Let's go sit down."

I follow Monika as we start heading towards the rearranged desks. I take the seat right next to Sayori. Yuri brings the tea set and starts pouring some into the cups while Natsuki places a tray on one of the desks and removes the tinfoil to reveal the cupcakes. The cupcakes looked like little cats, with the whiskers drawn with icing and little pieces of chocolate used as ears.

"Soooooo cute~!" exclaimed Sayori.

"I didn't know you were so good at baking, Natsuki." said Monika.

"Yeah, well…" stammered Natsuki "J-just hurry up and take one!"

Sayori grabs one first, next Monika, and then finally me. Meanwhile, Yuri is passing out the cups of tea on our desks.

Sayori happily chomps down on her cupcake, finishing it in a blink of an eye.

"So gooood!" mumbled Sayori.

Monika and I laugh a bit before resuming to eating our own cupcakes. Myself being a bit skeptical about the treat.

Honestly, I wasn't the biggest fan of sweets. As a BLADE soldier, I usually follow a pretty strict diet to keep me in shape and only eat what I consider beneficial to my health or muscle gain. I view sweets as sort of a detrimental to me due to the amount of sugar in them and how much that can weigh me down. As such, I seldomly eat them. Maybe for a special event or if Lin insists I'll eat one or two, but otherwise they're off the table for me.

I twist the cupcake around in my hands, examining it. I also notice Natsuki giving me a few side glances, as if expecting me to eat it. Well, since this is a special event I might as well eat it to be polite. I take a bite of the cupcake and savor in its sweetness.

"Wow, these are pretty good Natsuki. Nice work." I say.

At an instance, Natsuki turns red.

"I-it's not like I made them for you or anything!" said Natsuki, still not looking in my direction.

Weird, but okay.

After serving everyone their tea, Yuri finally sits down at one of the desks and takes one of the cupcakes.

"So Cross, what kinds of things do you like to read?" asked Yuri, unraveling the paper from her cupcake.

"Uh…"

Truth be told, I don't read much. At least, casual reading. Most of the things I read are mission detailings or BLADE reports, but other than that I don't really read. There are, however, some things I like to read in my past time but…

"...comics." I mutter unknowingly, after being lost in my train of thought for so long. I always liked comics, for some reason. I guess it's because of the action shots and the characters that-

Instantly, I catch myself on my mistake and give a rather shocked, yet sheepish look.

Natsuki's head suddenly perks up but instantly turns away from me.

"Oh, how….interesting…." stated Yuri with a rather uncomfortable tone, taking a bite of her cupcake.

"W-what about you?" I ask Yuri, trying to shift the conversation from the awkwardness "What kinds of things do you like to read, Yuri?"

"Well…" started Yuri "My favorites are usually novels that build deep and complex fantasy worlds. The level of creativity and craftsmanship behind them is amazing to me. And telling a good story in such a foreign world is equally impressive."

"Fantasy, huh?" I say, now somewhat interested "Well, I think I might know a story or two that'll interest you then."

"Oh? Do you write?"

"You could say that." I state, somewhat truthfully (Well I do write about my mission ecounters in my BLADE reports) "I just know that the 'fantasy' stories I got, and the creativity and complexity of them, will surely be ones that'll make you want more."

By this I mean I could probably tell her a few stories regarding my experiences in adventuring the world of Mira, from the likes of navigating the dense, misty forests of Noctilum to fighting off waves of android-like beings in Sylvalum.

I guess I'm getting myself caught up in what I like talking about too. Heh.

Yuri's eyes practically start lighting up, "Oh, then by all means I'd be very much interesting in hearing about them."

Meanwhile Natsuki was fidgeting in her seat rather uncomfortably.

"I also like reading horror from time to time as well." said Yuri "Do you know any horror stories?"

"Ah, well… Sometimes the 'fantasy' stories I know blend in with the 'horror' theme as well, if that counts." I say, trying to repress any sort of bad, horrific experience that come to mind.

"Ugh, I hate horror." interjected Natsuki.

"Oh? Why's that?" asked Yuri.

"Well-" Natsuki looks at me for a brief second "Nevermind."

"That's right, you usually like to write about cute things, don't you Natsuki?" asked Monika.

"W-what makes you say that?!" stammered Natsuki.

"You left a piece of scrap paper behind last club meeting." explained Monika as she was getting what was presumably Natsuki's own paper out of her backpack "It looked like you were working on a poem called-"

"Don't say it out loud! And give that back!" yelled Natsuki as she grabbed the piece of paper from Monika.

"Heheh, sorry! I was only teasing!" said Monika playfully.

"Ehehe~" started Sayori "Your cupcakes, your poems…. Everything you do is just as cute as you are~!"

"I-I'm not cute!" exclaimed Natsuki.

Who was making a cute face the moment she says that.

I smile a bit at this irony, but Natsuki seemed to have notice and starts throwing a mean look at me.

"W-what are you looking at anyways, Mr. Fantasy Man?!" exclaimed Natsuki "Trying to make fun of me?! Huh?!"

"I didn't say anything." I say innocently, with my hands in the air.

"Whatever." said Natsuki, now looking away from me "You probably wouldn't even like my poems anyways…" she muttered

"Not a very confident writer?" I ask, slightly tilting my head sideways.

"I know how Natsuki feels." explained Yuri "Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. You must be willing to open up to your readers, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart."

"Have some writing experience yourself, Yuri?" asked Monika "Maybe if you share some of your work, you can set an example and help Natsuki feel comfortable enough to share hers."

"..."

Yuri didn't respond.

"I guess Yuri has the same problem…." I state.

"Awww, I wanted to read everyone's poems…" pouted Sayori.

All of us sit in awkward silence for a few minutes.

"I have an idea, everyone!" said Monika, finally breaking the silence "Let's all go home and write a poem of our own. Then, the next time we meet, we'll all share them with each other. That way, everyone is even!"

Both Yuri and Natuski gave Monika uneasy looks.

"U-um…"

"I dunno-"

"That's a great idea, Monika!" Sayori said with energy.

"Plus, now that we have a new member, I think it will help us all get a little more comfortable with each other, and strengthen the bond of the club."

Monika turns to me, "Isn't that right, Cross?"

Huh, already considering me a member of the club, even though I haven't really agreed to anything yet. But I did give them the idea that I would be a part of their club. And I already did promised Sayori that I would join.

Why not? It couldn't hurt.

I nod, "Yeah, I'd be down for writing a poem."

At an instance, both Yuri and Natsuki's expressions soften.

"W-well…" said Yuri "If Cross is willing to put himself out there and make the effort in doing so, then I should as well. He shouldn't have to do it by himself."

"Yeah!" said Natsuki "If this guy can do it, then so can I!"

"Heheh, guess I'm a member of the club now, huh?" I ask Monika.

"Of course! Then let's make it official! Welcome to the Literature Club!" Monika said while outstretching her hand, to which I obliged by shaking it.

"Yaaay~! Cross is part of the club now!" said Sayori, wrapping her arms around me and jumping up and down "I'm so happy!"

"H-hey!" I chuckle.

"Okay everyone!" said Monika "I think with that, we can officially end today's meeting on a good note. Everyone remember tonight's assignment: Write a poem to bring to the next meeting, so we can all share!"

Monika looks over to me.

"Cross, I look forward to see how you express yourself. Ehehe~"

Huh, wonder if I can impress her…

Meanwhile, the girls continue to chit chat while everyone finishes up their food and cleans up after themselves.

"Hey Cross!" asked Sayori "Since we're already here, do you want to walk home together?"

"Uh, sure, might as well."

"Yaay~"

With that, the two of us depart from the club room and start making our way to our houses.

"How are you liking the club so far, Cross?"

"It's great. Everyone seems nice so far."

"Yup! I bet you're gonna get along with all of them _juuuust_ right! Now you don't have to be a closeted otaku anymore! And we get to spend more time together!"

I roll my eyes while smiling, "Well, I got you to thank for that, now do I?"

"Well, that's what friends are for right?"

"Totally." I smile back.

Me and Sayori soon part ways once we got to our houses, which just so happened to be conveniently placed next to each other.

As I approach my home, I begin thinking back on the club and each of the members.

Sayori, Natsuki, Yuri, and Monika…

Hopefully, I'll be able to enjoy my time with each of them.

 _Okay! Time to start on that poem!_ I thought to myself as I enter through the door to my supposed home.

…

 _I don't know how to write a poem… or what a poem IS for that matter.-_

Wait, what the hell am I doing? Why am I getting so sucked into this? I need to snap out of it! I still need to figure out what this place is and why I'm h-

…!

Before I could do much else, however, the strangest thing happens. A wide, pink textbox suddenly appears right in front of me out of nowhere, saying:

"Would you like to save?"

Confused, I simply just look at the thing.

Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain coming onto my head. It was the headache from before again. And just like before, it felt unbearable. I couldn't even yell in pain before falling on the floor once again.

My mind was fading and everything was turning black…


	3. Chapter 3: Discovery

**Note: I do not own either Xenoblade Chronicles X or Doki Doki Literature Club. All rights of Xenoblade Chronicles X and its characters long to Monolith Soft while all rights to Doki Doki Literature Club and its characters belong to Dan Salvato, along with some of the dialogue used in this story.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Discovery

…

I open my eyes and found myself back in Quentin's lab. Standing up, the pain in my head still remained and I doubled back a bit. Everything looked the same, except the large screen, which showed the large textbox from before. Except because of my headache, I couldn't really see all that clearly and make out the words.

This is all so weird.

At that instance, an all-to-familiar person started walking into the room.

"Oh, Cross, you're he- Oh my god, what happened here?!"

Before I could respond, the man shoves me out of the way and started configuring with the computer.

"This is all... oh geez… do you have any idea what you've just done?! How did you even get this thing going?!"

I'm still trying to figure that out myself, buddy.

Still in a bit of pain, I simply just sit down on a nearby chair while he continues examining the computer system and the modified Skell cockpit. I check the time on my communication device, to which I see that the current time was 21:34.

What time did I get here again? I think last time I checked, it was around 18:00. Which means…

I've been out for three hours?!

After a while, the man I now identify as Quentin stops messing around with the computer and starts making his way towards me.

"Alright," started Quentin "What I'm about to say is going to be very important, so be sure to listen. And another thing, what's said in this room stays in this room. Got it?"

I nod.

"Good. Now, Cross, let me tell you what that other there is."

Quentin gestures to the machine.

"It's a virtual simulator, or as they say in this case, a virtual visual novel."

"...huh?" I respond, still a bit "out of it".

"You don't know what visual novels are?!"

"Not really. I think I heard Irina talking about them once. Saying they were for desperate losers or something."

"She just doesn't know what true art is!" retorted the engineer "Now listen, visual novels are a type of storytelling games that allow you to choose your own path in the story and to interactive with the characters within the games. Sometimes, even allowing you to date them as well. Back on earth, these things were usually played via computers.

"This one is special. It lets you fully experience playing through a visual novel. It takes you directly into the actual scenes to interact with the actual characters and allows you to make your own decisions within, allowing you to create your own path within the visual novel itself and shape things to your own liking. All with simulated AIs engineered by Miran technology and everything, to the point where it looks so real. I based this simulation on a rather popular visual novel back on earth called Doki Doki Literature Club. I recreated the details to the best of my abilities from memory, with a bit of added twists of my own. This one was custom made by the Ma-non and I with a little help from L."

"Wait, you were planning on using this thing yourself?" I ask.

"Well, no. See, the thing is this virtual visual novel project is still a work-in-progress one. The Ma-non and I were still trying to test some things with it to work out any sort of kinks. This one is the first of it's kind. Once we've perfected the technology, we could mass sell these visual novel simulations all across New LA with different kinds of visual novels built into them. We've been working on this project for a couple of months now. "

"Well, then why is there only still one?"

"These things take time, y'know! Besides, with the Ganglion and other Miran threats out there constantly attacking us and breathing down our necks, my work as an engineer has been shifted from this to Skell repairs to ensure us humans survive on Mira. As a result, the time spent on this project has become minimal overtime."

"I see."

"Though I will say, the state of it is almost complete at this point. I just need to run a couple of things and check for any bugs. I'm also surprised you somehow managed to activate this thing." said Quentin "It's been inactive for weeks. Most of the wiring or electrical configuartion hasn't even been properly set up! Unless…"

"Unless…. What?"

"Nothing," dismissed Quentin "What's important here is that since you were the one that fully activated the virtual simulation AND saved in it, that means part of your Mimesome coding has been imprinted into the game. And for some reason, I can't remove that coding from the prototype."

Shit.

Wait, saved in it?

"Uh, so what do you want me to do now?" I ask, with the headache now subsiding and my vision returning to normal.

"Hmmm…." mumbled Quentin, as he began thinking to himself.

...

"I got it!" he finally said "You're going to be playing through the game from now on!"

"What?! Why me?"

"Because this project is still a WIP and you came in and disrupted our process in tackling the game's testing. With you in it now, we'll just have to work with it and plan around it. Besides, I'll pay you."

"...fine." I respond.

Silence.

"...so which one is your favorite?" Quentin asks, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"Which girl do you like the most so far?"

"..."

How the hell was I supposed to answer that?

"I dunno? They all seem nice..." I respond.

"Ah can't decide, huh? No worries, that's a natural reaction for first time VN players. You'll find your sutible girl soon enough. For me though, I like Monika the best…. Such a cutie..."

What a creep.

Though I can't help but agree. From what I've seen of her, Monika was somewhat attractive to her own right. Her supposed credibility as an overachieving person made her seem all the more attractive.

Yuri was also quite something to look at. She kinda reminded me of Celica in a way. Might be because they can't really speak up that well, but are passionate in their interests.

Natsuki... Looked a bit too young for my tastes, but her spunk and attitude was cute in its own way. Her attitude also reminded me of Yelv.

Sayori seemed like a person with a lot of energy, almost like my young "protégé" Mia. With that kind of energy, she sure knew how to keep the party going.

"Alright, so the T-Ray Lights I requested -thanks for that by the way- are going to be used in futher configuartions the project. If you could give me a couple of days, you'll be able to access the game with a few additional add-ons to it as well. I'll give you a call once I'm done."

"Gotcha." I reply as I stood up "Anyways, I gotta get back to my Barracks room. Elma'll chew me out again if I show up late."

"Alright, take it easy."

After saying our goodbyes (and with Quentin paying me the credits for the materials I got for him), I head out of the lab and start making my way back to my floor.

Lord knows how this little new "adventure" will turn out.

As I exit the lab, I notice something rather peculiar on the computer screen, specifically with the big pink textbook. With my vision returning to normal, I see that the text on it changed, with it now saying:

"Save complete!"


	4. Chapter 4: Learning

**Note: I do not own either Xenoblade Chronicles X or Doki Doki Literature Club. All rights of Xenoblade Chronicles X and its characters long to Monolith Soft while all rights to Doki Doki Literature Club and its characters belong to Dan Salvato, along with some of the dialogue used in this story.**

* * *

 _BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_

I groan in weariness as I try to turn off my alarm clock from my bunk.

It was early morning now. I got back to my Barracks floor a bit late last night and, after eating a late dinner, headed to bed almost right away.

I get up and head to the kitchen to fix myself a quick breakfast. Just some cereal with juice.

Thankfully today was my day off, which meant that I could kick back and relax for the day. Unless I get called in for an emergency or whatever.

After finishing my breakfast, I head towards the couch and take out my holographic tablet.

Last night I tried doing some basic research on poems after dinner to get a better understanding of them, but because I was so tired that I didn't really get far and just went to my bunk to sleep.

I was hoping today I would have the chance to do some more research on them.

 _Poems, poems, poems, poems_ I think to myself as I began my research.

Honestly, I didn't know a _thing_ about poems. Occasionally, I hear Elma and Lin talking about that sort of stuff or hear the word "poetic" thrown around here and there in New LA, but besides that I don't have much knowledge on them.

Thanks to that game Quentin had, however, I'm a bit curious over them and the fuss behind what makes them so special. I even took out some writing materials last night for me to write one in case I wanted to "immerse" myself in this "experience".

After a bit of searching, I come across one by someone named William Henry Davies.

The Example

Here's an example from

A Butterfly;

That on a rough, hard rock

Happy can lie;

Friendless and all alone

On this unsweetened stone.

Now let my bed be hard

No care take I;

I'll make my joy like this

Small Butterfly;

Whose happy heart has power

To make a stone a flower.

...

What kind of writing was that?

Before I could continue my thoughts, an all too familiar young face appeared right in front of me.

"What'cha doin Cross?"

It was Lin, one of my teammates. Her, Elma, and I make up a BLADE team called Team Elma. Despite being 13, Lin's job is that of an engineer and is practically the brains of the group. She could modify Skells and Skell weapons better than anyone in New LA could and can even repair damaged Skells in the blink of an eye. A "child prodigy", as they say. Though because she still young, she still acts like a child sometimes. Such examples include her constantly bothering me for stuff, such as "borrowing" some of my credit and making me buy stuff for her. Course, I don't get _too_ angry over this kind of stuff, since she in turn helps me a lot with maintaining care of my weapons (though I do get really annoyed with it at times).

Considering how late I woke up, I assumed her and Elma would've already been gone by now. But I guess Lin still has time before her own shift.

"Nothing much" I casually reply " Just researching stuff n' writing."

"Is it for a report?"

"Nah, something else."

"Oooh, what is it?"

I was a bit skeptical to answer. Knowing Lin, she would really get suspicious if me, of all people, would suddenly be interested in writing poetry. I couldn't let out Quentin's secret this early.

"Poetry?" she says, noticing the poem I looked up on my tablet and the paper/writing utensils on the table"Oh, are you trying to make a poem?"

Too late.

I sigh and nod.

"Oh cool! What're trying to write about?"

"I don't really have a specific theme in mind, really. Just something basic, I suppose."

"Okay, I gotcha! So, the main thing about writing a poem is expressing yourself and your feelings through your words. Either through long winded stories or short passages."

Sounds like something Yuri would say.

"The biggest thing, though, is having a central idea, theme, or story you're trying to tell or get across to your readers. You don't wanna have too much that distracts readers, but at the same time you don't want too little to make things too vague for them either. Here, let me try and make one."

Lin takes one of the sheets of paper from the table and starts writing on it. After a few minutes, she puts down her pen and shows me the poem.

"Here. Read this!"

She practically shoves the thing in my face, but I take it and start reading through it.

Happy

I look at you everyday

Wondering "how much do you exactly weigh?"

Tire, irritable I come home

Something always wrong with my Mimesome

You pester me to explore these biomes

But as they say, When in Rome

Each day together is something new

Most days, I just wanna cook you into stew!

…

"This poem is about eating Tatsu, isn't it?" I ask.

"Hehehe, I couldn't resist! Shame he's too busy pestering Mia right now though, I'm a bit hungry."

I smirk at Lin's comment. She likes to make a lot of jokes about wanting to cook up and eat our little "team mascot" Nopon named Tatsu. They're a bit dry, but I put up with them.

"Anyways, there's a bunch of different poem types to use. Limericks, haikus, imageries, epics, and a lot more. But for the sake of simplicity, let's just focus on free verse. Here, you give it a try."

I pick up one of the sheets of paper and start writing on it myself…. Or at least _try_ to.

 _What can I write…_

Hm. This is actually kinda difficult, coming up with stuff on the spot and writing about it in a coherent way. Especially with my limited knowledge of the more complex side of the human language.

Eventually I just start jotting down ideas, sentences, and the like until I start re-arranging them in a proper structure.

Life moves forwards without a second thought

Maybe time just doesn't care

Killing and killing, each day becomes

For the sake of survival, but at what cost?

Death knows no bounds to all

But every end has a beginning

Another day, another dollar as they say

…

But sometimes there is no other day

After finishing my poem, I hand it off to Lin for her to read.

"Huh. This is….interesting." said Lin "What was your thought process behind these sentences?"

"I dunno. I was just sorta writing what came to mind."

Maybe I was deflecting my thoughts of survival here on Mira onto my poem?

"Well the structure is nice. Short, simple, yet sweet. Though, it doesn't hurt to use a couple more words and add a bit more sentences. Also, you forgot the title."

"Whoops." I say sheepishly

"But, nice job for a first poem!" said Lin as she hands back the poem to me "Maybe with enough practice, I bet you'll be able to write some real masterpieces!"

I laugh, "Well, I wouldn't go _that_ far."

"What's got you so interested in poetry all of a sudden?"

Shit. That was the question I was hoping she wouldn't ask.

"Oh! Oh! Don't tell me!"

Lin leans closer to me.

"It's for a girl, isn't it?"

...well you're half right.

"Who is it? You gotta tell me!" Lin says, practically yelling.

"Wait!" Lin jolts back "Don't tell me! Lemme guess! Is it Irina? Actually, wait, she doesn't really seem to be the type to be into this sort of thing. The Murderess? She looks like the reserved type who might have a guilty pleasure for this kind of stuff. What about Celica? She seems like the kind of person who'd be interested in learning about earth poetry. Yeah, it MUST be Celica, right? Oh no wait!-"

Lin continues on with her rambles while I just sit there, somewhat amused with Lin's own in depth takes on the personal interests of some of the female BLADEs I've worked with before.

Of course with her being a 13 year old, she gets all excited about rumors about other people's love lives, so I guess I'm not too surprised about her little rambles.

"C'mon! Fill me in on the details! Who's it for? You have to tell me! I can keep a secret!"

"Sorry, can't tell you what the poem's for."

"What?! Ah c'mon, you're no fun…." Lin pouts.

I chuckle, "Well secrets aren't secrets anymore if they're told, right? Besides, shouldn't you be off to the Outfitters Hanger for some work or something?"

"Oh crap, that's right! Thanks for reminding me, I gotta get going!"

Lin gets up and starting gathering her things before making her way to the door. Before she exits, however, she picks up a sheet of paper from the countertop.

"Oh, I forgot one more thing." said Lin, walking back to me "You got chores today."

Chores?

Lin hands me the sheet of paper as I start reading it off.

"Clean the whole Barracks floor, get new Ma-non shampoo/conditioner, pick up Skell repair kit from Alexa, get these ingredients for tonight's dinner…. what the hell? Why do I gotta do all these things?"

"Because you have the day off today while Elma and I still have BLADE work to do." stated Lin "Besides, Elma made a new rule saying that whoever has the day off has to do chores from now on so that we won't be end up being lazy and to help around. Didn't you hear her talk about it a few days ago at our group meeting?"

"Uhhhh….."

I _vaguely_ remember that last meeting, honestly.

Guess that must've slipped my mind...

"Well, whatever. I need to start heading to the Hangar right now." Lin starts running out of the Barracks door "Catch you later! Remember to do all those chores or else Elma'll get mad!"

And with that, Lin was gone, leaving me to my own thoughts and a bucketlist of things to do.

I sigh in weariness. Today was going to be a long day….


	5. Chapter 5: A New Day

**Note: I do not own either Xenoblade Chronicles X or Doki Doki Literature Club. All rights of Xenoblade Chronicles X and its characters long to Monolith Soft while all rights to Doki Doki Literature Club and its characters belong to Dan Salvato, along with some of the dialogue used in this story.**

* * *

A couple days past and still no word from Quentin regarding the game. In the meanwhile, I've mostly just been focusing on my BLADE work of surveying Mira and fending off the likes of indigens and the Ganglion. Not to mention doing some intermediary stuff with the likes of the Xenos and humans in New LA.

It wasn't until a couple more days later when I finally got contacted by Quentin to meet in his lab again.

…

"Go forward here, go right at the next corner… wait, wasn't it left at the next corner?"

Here at the lower levels again, still trying to navigate this confusing sprawl of a maze.

Wait, wasn't it the left corner?

I hate it here.

Eventually, I stumble onto the right lab and knock on the door.

The little top door slider on the mechanical door briefly opens, with Quentin on the other end, before shutting with the door itself opening completely.

"Good. You're finally here." said Quentin, making his way towards the computer "Though I preferred if you came here sooner."

"Hey, being stuck doing BLADE work keeps a person busy." I respond "So anyways, what do we got?"

"Well, the Ma-non and I have updated a few things since the last time you were here." said Quentin "Such as the character AIs, several mechanics, added virtualized items….. y'know I think it'd be easier if you just got into the chair and booted the simulation up to see for yourself."

"O-kay…. And how do I do that?"

"Simple. Just sit down on the chair and pull the two handles on the side. The headpiece will then lower down to your own head level and will begin transferring your mind into the simulation."

"That… doesn't sound safe."

"Well it worked once before, didn't it?"

"Actually, I just got zapped by the machine."

"Oh."

….

"Well just get in there, anyways. Everything should be in proper place."

Reluctantly, I end up sitting in the chair. After getting the OK from Quentin, I pull on the handles to bring the headpiece down, to which it started to make a bunch of configuration sounds. The visor started to light up, with text appearing on it.

"Doki Doki Literature Club!"

Huh, that must be the name of the simulation then.

After a couple of seconds, I was starting to feel lightheaded.

…

Argh, my thinking...isn't… clear….

Feeling….dizzy…...

…

I opened my eyes and see that I was standing in a big white void filled with near nothingness. A place filled with computer codes zipping past me right and left, up and down. Eventually after a few seconds, everything around me started to materialize. Creating a newly programmed area.

It was the house I was in the last time, and I'm standing right in the exact same spot I was in last time too, rocking the same school uniform.

"Can you hear me?"

! I suddenly hear a voice ringing from above.

"It's me, Quentin. I'm communicating with you in the simulation through the computer I'm using that's hooked up to the skell cockpit. Now, how're feeling?"

"I feel…. Alright. A little dizzy, but nothing too major."

"I see. Another thing, I've programmed a menu feature for you."

Menu feature?

"Raise up your left hand inward and slowly bring up your index finger while doing so."

I do what he says and to my surprise, I see a bunch of icons appear right before me."

"This is the menu. It allows you to access things you wouldn't normally be able to without outside assistance. It even pauses the simulation right in the middle of it all. The upper icon is a save feature, used to save your game. Try clicking on it."

I again do what he says, to which a more larger menu appears in front of me. There's six slots, with one of them already being filled in.

"You can tap one of those slots to save your game in, so the next time you access the simulation you can pick up where you left off by clicking the specific slot. You can tap the bottom left of the screen to exit out."

I tap the left edge of the screen, to which it brings me back to the previous menu.

"The other option is an exit feature. Simply tap on it and it will bring you out of the simulation back into our world, but not before asking you to save first. Now normally I would ask you to test it out, but since it took you so long to finally get back to the lab for testing, we won't be doing that now. Besides, it seems that you getting out of the simulation gives a bit of fatigue."

Wait a minute…

"So what happens if the feature doesn't work?"

"Don't worry about it, I told you I've already tested out all the schematics and the like!"

"But this is the first time I'm actually in the simulation for you to test this out."

"Worry about the details later. Besides, I have backups in case you can't get out."

Yeah, nice reassurance…

"Now head upstairs, there's more I want to show you."

Ugh. More exposition…

Upstairs, I enter the slightly open room. It was a slightly small room, with an oversized closet coupled with a medium sized bed, a desk, and TV, and carpeting. Looks cozy.

"This is your room. On the table is a little minigame."

I approach the table, to which I see a bunch of words with a counter on the top right. On the bottom left, I see little mini versions of the four girls. Sayori, Natsuki, Yuri, and Monika. All slightly bouncing around left in right.

"This is the poem minigame. Basically, you use the pencil to tap on the words to get your own 'poem'. Each one of those girls react to a specific word, and you'll be able to see which girl likes which kinds of words. Complete the minigame and a poem will generate, personalized to whichever girl your word choices correlate the most with."

"Uh huh" I nod

So this'll make a poem for me… I guess I didn't need to make one after all.

"Hey, by the way, I kinda made a poem myself. I kinda thought I'd have to make one myself, so I did. I dunno if that'll affect anything."

"...you _made_ a poem yourself?" Quentin asks, surprised

"I know, I know, I don't seem like the kind of guy to do that stuff, but like I said I thought I'd have to make one for the simulation."

"Intriguing. Alright then. I actually anticipated such an event, so I'll just be scanning this into the simulation for you. But for the meantime, you'll just have to do the minigame to progress to the next day. Now, where is that poem of yours?"

"Inside one of my pockets."

I turn my attention back to the little "minigame".

Okay then. This seems….interesting. Regardless, I sit down and pick up the pencil to start the minigame.

The variety of words all looked really simple, yet seem like ones a person would find in an ordinary poem I suppose. I tap on one of the words, and the Natsuki mini jumps up briefly before a new set of words appear on the "paper". I choose a different word, and this time the Sayori mini jumps up.

I do this a couple more times, which each of the different minis jumping up at different words. It was kinda fun. There were some weird ones though, such as "depression" and "hopeless" that somehow still made some of the girls jump, but I figured that it was just part of the poem writing "thought-process" and didn't think much of it.

After that bit, the night sky suddenly turns into a bright, orange rising sunlight. The minigame sheet turns blank. To my right, I see a new piece of paper on the table. I pick it up. It was my poem, all scanned it.

"Alright, now it's morning." blankly said Quentin

"Wait so I don't have to, like, sleep or anything? It just turns to daytime just like _that_?" I ask

"Limitations. This just feels the most appropriate way for day to day transitions. Now it's time for you to head to another day of school."

"Ugh, do I have to?"

"Yes you do. Now get to it! It's all part of the simulation."

I guess I gotta do it then, but man the school part is so boring.

I pick up my things and start making my way out of my "house".

"Now from here on, I won't be talking as much. I will merely just be observing you and track your progress. Occasionally I may have to chime in and talk to you, but no one but you can actually hear me."

I nod, and head out the door.

Outside, I see familiar peach haired, bubbly girl getting out of her own house and starts making her way towards me.

"Hey, Cross! I actually woke up early today! Aren't you proud of me?"

It was Sayori.

So this girl is suppose to be my childhood friend…. I'll admit it's a bit weird, what with her acting like she's known me all throughout my life while I barely know a thing about her. But she seems like a really nice and energetic person. I guess it won't be too bad. Besides, I could still try to get to know her better in the meantime.

"Uh, Cross?" said Sayori.

Whoops, guess I was spacing out

"Sure am, Sayori." I nod, snapping my attention back to her.

"Yay!" cheered Sayori "Now c'mon, we gotta get to school!"

I start walking beside her, on the same path we took last time.

"Did you write your poem?" asked Sayori

"Sure did." I respond "You?"

"Of course I did! It took me a while, but I finally got what I wanted down."

"Nice. How long did it take you?"

"Y-you don't need to know that, Cross!" rebuffed Sayori "All that matters is that it's done, right?"

"I suppose." I say "Mine took me a bit. I just jotted down what came to mind, really. I'm not sure if it came out right, though."

"I'm sure it did!" said Sayori "I'm sure that you put in a lot of effort into your poem, so I know it'll be a great one!"

"Heh heh…"

Really energetic, this one is.

Taking this time, I being observing more of my surroundings. Alongside the neatly stacked square houses right beside one another were the bright blue skies and green grass. Small benches nearby along with a lot of sidewalks coupled with a small park nearby added to the scenery. This place looked relatively bright and clean compared to any region I've been on in Mira, even compared to the greenfields of Primordia. No lush labyrinths of gigantic trees, no sand everywhere, no spores in the air, no lava (Thank god for that). Hell even compared to New LA, this place looked much more "green" and less industrialized. Most importantly, however, was that there no monsters as far as I can tell. Which means that this place is relatively safe.

This looks like the average neighborhood people used to live in back on earth. Looking at it all now, it's kinda cool.

After a bit more walking, we finally arrived to the "high school" again and part ways for our own classes.

Here again, for another lecturing….

…

That was still boring.

Thankfully it didn't feel as long, but I still was about to lose my marbles.

Regardless, class is over, which meant that it was time for me to hit up the Literature Club.

After Sayori comes to pick me up, we make our way to the club room until we finally arrive.

"I can't wait to read everyone else's poems today!"

She opens the door and we enter the room.

"Hi again, Cross!" said Monika "Glad to see you didn't run away from us. Haha!"

"Well it's not like I had much of a choice, now did I?" I say jokingly

"Thanks for keeping your promise, Cross." Yuri piped up "I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you. Making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it…"

"Oh don't worry, I'll figure my way out eventually."

"Oh, come on! Like he deserves any slack." interjected Natsuki, in the middle of carrying a box "Sayori told me you didn't even want to join any clubs this year. I don't know if you plan to just come here and hang out, or what… But if you don't take us seriously, then you won't see the end of it."

"Natsuki, you certainly have a big mouth for someone who keeps her manga collection in the clubroom." said Monika.

"M-M-M…!" stuttered Natsuki "Manga is literature!"

And with that, Natsuki goes back to whatever she was doing.

"Don't worry, guys~." said Sayori "Cross always gives it his best as long as he's having fun. He helps me with busywork without me even asking. Like cooking, cleaning my room…"

"How dependable…" said Yuri.

Huh, I guess I'm suppose to be this kind of person then.

"You two are really great friends, aren't you? I might be a little jealous…"

"How come? You and Cross can be good friends too!" said Sayori

"U-uhm!"

Yuri turns her head away, then looks at me briefly before turning away once again with a bit of red on her face.

…

Well this is awkward.

"Oh, oh!" Sayori turns to me "Yuri even brought you something today, you know~"

"W-wait Sayori!" exclaimed Yuri

"Don't be shy~"

"It's really nothing…"

"What is it?" I ask

"N-nevermind!"

I guess she's a little shy with stuff like that.

Whatever the case maybe, I probably shouldn't have Sayori push her more if she's not comfortable with giving me something.

"Hey, if you're too shy about it, it's fine." I say, in hopes of easing the situation "I wasn't really expecting a gift, but I don't want to force you to do something you're not comfortable with it."

"A-ah! I-It's not that…"

"C'mon Yuri, give it to him already!"

I tug Sayori by the ear, "You need to learn how to respect people's boundaries, little missy."

Sayori makes a small, yet playful pout in response, but it gets her to clam up for now.

"Okay, everyone!" said Monika "Why don't we take a few more minutes to settle in before starting our poems?"

The three of us soon disperse, with Sayori heading to the front of the class while Yuri sits down at the nearest seat and starts reading a book.

I take the seat nearest to the window and place my bag on the chair.

Good thing for this down time. I'm still exhausted from class…

While rummaging through my stuff, I take a look out the window to my left to get a better glimpse of the outdoors. The structures of the school looked small, yet tall and manageable. And once again, the clear skies and lush grass make the landscape all the more appealing.

Upon taking out my poem, however, I turn to my right and see Monika just a few feet away, staring right at me.

"...something wrong?" I ask.

"Oh! I-it's nothing!" said Monika, snapping out of her daze "I just haven't seen you in a while is all!"

"...alright then."

"So, I see you've made your poem. To be honest, I was half expecting you not to show up with one, but I'm glad you're taking the time to put in the effort and participate in our club."

"Well with Sayori around me, how could I not?"

"That's true." said Monika "Hey, y'know what? If you're having any trouble with writing poems, I could help give you a few tips and pointers if you want."

"That sounds like a neat idea-"

"Ugh!"

I hear a small shuffle from behind me. I turn around and see Natsuki lugging around another box in the closet.

"Monika!" said Sayori, coming out of nowhere "You said you'd help me organize the club papers!"

"Oh, I did say that didn't I? I'll be right there." said Monika, leaving before turning to me and giving me a small smile.

Turning my attention back to the closet, I see Natsuki moving a bunch of things in there. Given this free time, I make my way over to her to try and help.

Right now, she was trying to lift a box up to a higher shelf. Though given her short size, it looks like she's quite struggling with it.

"Need any help?" I ask.

"Freakin' Monika..." said Natsuki, still focused on the closet "She never puts my stuff back in the right spot! What's the point of keeping your collection organized if someone else is just gonna mess it up?"

Natsuki continues rearranging the books on the shelf. Meanwhile, I pick up a lone book in one of the boxes left out.

"Aha! There it is!"

Natsuki snatches the book from my hand and places it in between two other books on the shelf.

"Aah, much better!"

Me and Natsuki look at the collection for a little while, to which I notice that said collection was a bunch of manga stacked up right next to each other.

"Hey, you said you read comic books, right?" asked Natsuki

"Ah…"

I did let that slip last time, didn't I?

"Yeah, at times. It's more like a small hobby, though. Nothing too big."

"I figured. Plus I could tell just by the way you act and talk."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno. It's kinda hard to explain..."

...the hell is that suppose to mean?

"Do you… read manga too?" she asks, with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Not really." I reply

Manga's not really all that common in New LA. Neither are people who read manga either. Even if there were people who do read manga, not a whole lot talk about it around town. Plus, the weird romance, deep fantasy, slice-of-life type genres… that kind of stuff isn't much my thing.

Natsuki gives me a look before turning away. She seemed kinda disappointed.

I lean in to get a closer look at the collection.

"Parfait Girls…" I mutter.

Immediately, Natsuki gets all up in my face "If you're gonna judge, you can do it through the glass on that door." she says, pointing to the classroom door.

Guess I struck a nerve…

"I didn't even say anything." I say defensively

"It was the tone of your voice." Natsuki retorted "But I'll tell you one thing, Cross! Consider this a lesson straight from the Literature Club: Don't judge a book by its cover! In fact…"

Natsuki reaches into the closet and takes a book from her collection.

"I'm gonna show you exactly why!" she states, shoving the manga into my hands.

"What?" I said, confused.

"You said you don't read manga, right? Well, I'm letting you read one from my collection so that you can get a better idea of this kind of literature."

"Literature?"

"Manga is literature!" said Natsuki, practically shouting in my face.

I look at the cover.

It has four females, each wearing somewhat colorful outfits and striking relatively feminine poses.

….it looks really girly.

"D-don't take it the wrong way! I-I'm just trying to be a nice person, is all! It's not like I actually care if you like it or anything!" retorted Natsuki.

I'm still too distracted by the cover to respond.

"Don't just stand there!"

Natsuki grabs my arm and pulls me out of the closet. She then takes a seat against the wall, beneath the windowsills. She pats on the ground next to her, signaling me to sit there.

"Wouldn't chairs be more comfortable for this?" I ask, taking up the seat.

"Chairs won't work." answered Natsuki "We can't read at the same time like that."

So she just wants to read the manga too, huh...

I mentally sigh and open the book. It's only a few seconds before Natsuki inches closer, taking up the remaining space between us. I can feel her peering over my shoulder, much more eager to begin reading than I am.

"Wow, how long has it been since I read the beginning...?" muttered Natsuki.

I simply just read along to the manga. So far, it just looks like a bunch of friends hanging out, doing typical normal everyday stuff (Or at least, everyday by earth standards). Nothing too much happening.

"...so is there some kind of overarching plot going on in this?" I ask, somewhat bored.

"Well, obviously!" responded Natsuki "Well, okay, not exactly overarching, but it still has plot! But, I guess I know what you're saying. A lot of the beginning is about simple things… Like there's a really funny chapter where they're obsessed with a guy at the ice cream shop… But that just helps you get to know the characters! And besides, it's still entertaining. But later on, there's all kinds of drama, like when they get into all their backstories. And when some of the romance starts to happen! That's really what makes it so good. There are so many touching parts."

"Ah, I see. Sounds like you really know your stuff."

"Of course I do! I've read this manga series plenty of time before! Front to back!"

"I getcha. It's always fun talking to people about stuff you're really into. Especially if they're into it too. You can get a really good conversation going with those kinds of topics. Don't you agree?"

"..."

I get silence as a response.

I look over to Natsuki, to which I see her looking at the floor.

"Natsuki?"

"...yeah, I guess."

"What's wrong? Don't you like to talk about manga with your friends?"

"Hmph." pouted Natsuki "Like I could ever get my friends to read this."

"They don't like manga?"

"They just think manga is for kids. I can't even bring it up without them being all like: 'Eh? You still haven't grown out of that yet?' Makes me want to punch them in the face…"

"Yeah, I get that sometimes whenever I read comics. Whenever people see me reading some, or hear me even mention them, all they really say is 'you're too old to be reading this kind of stuff' or something of the like. Which is why I tend to read them in privacy. Or at least try too…. But I dunno, there's something about comic books that really gets me going. Something about the drawings, the characters, and the stories, along with all the cool stuff in them you don't see in everyday life, such as the superpowers and awesome gadgets. Shame that not a lot of people feel the same way. Though one thing that most people don't seem to mention, or even take note of, is that sometimes, telling stories through graphics can be for the better. What with all the illustrations and visuals helping to better portray the fight scenes, the story, the characters..."

Immediately, Natsuki turns to me, "I know, right?! Sometimes people are too stuck up to realize just how effective telling a story is through all the visual cues of manga and comic books!"

Realizing she went kinda overboard, Natsuki takes up her usual uptight position "Hmph."

I turn my attention back to the manga.

"I mean, I feel like I can't even keep this in my own room." Natsuki continued "I don't even know what my dad would do if he found this."

"Your dad?"

"My dad…. really doesn't like this stuff. And that's all I'm saying." stated Natsuki, lowering her head "At least it's safe here in the clubroom. 'Cept Monika was kind of a jerk about it… Ugh! I just can't win, can I?"

"Well, it's not all that bad." I turn to her "I mean, you got me reading along with you."

"Well…" Natsuki thinks to herself "…. not like it solves any of my problems, though."

"Maybe not, but at least you're enjoying yourself, right?"

"...so?"

"C'mon, you have to admit this is at least a little fun."

"Geez, will you hurry up and keep reading?!"

I flip to the next page,

"Ahahaha!" Natsuki suddenly laughs, startling me "I totally forgot that happens!" she points to the current page "Minori is my favorite character. You always feel a bit bad for her, since she's so unlucky. But it especially gets bad when-"

Natsuki stops herself.

"Uhh…. I shouldn't be talking about this yet! Just finish the chapter!"

I continue reading on, though with Natsuki now clammaring with excitement right beside me throughout, quite a contrast from her usual stuck up self. I guess she just has trouble properly showing her emotions. Though I'll admit, having someone as reserved and cold as Natsuki going on about something shelike and opening up about it… it was kinda cute, in its own way.

"Okay everyone!" said Monika, out of nowhere "Are you all ready to present your poems?"

"Oh, come on!" said Natsuki "Could your timing be any worse?"

"Sorry! I just need to make sure we have enough time. Plus, we're running a bit on time here!" Monika responded, before walking away.

"Well, I guess we gotta get going now." I said, getting up and lightly tossing back the manga to Natsuki "It was a good read."

"It should! This manga is popular for a reason, y'know." said Natsuki as she started getting up "...but thanks. For reading with me and for actually acting like you enjoyed it. And for not making fun of me."

"Why would I make fun of you?"

"N-nevermind. I'm just glad to know there's someone in the club who has similar interests as mine."

I give a small smile to her statement.

"I-idiot! Hurry up and get going! I'll catch up in a bit." she retorts.

After walking away from the closet, I pick up my poem from my desk and make my way towards the rearranged desks made by the other girls.

Sharing poems, huh? This should be interesting.


	6. Chapter 6: Presenting Poems (Day 1)

**Note: I do not own either Xenoblade Chronicles X or Doki Doki Literature Club. All rights of Xenoblade Chronicles X and its characters long to Monolith Soft while all rights to Doki Doki Literature Club and its characters belong to Dan Salvato, along with some of the dialogue used in this story.**

* * *

I walk over to the group and see Sayori and Monika already sharing their poems with one another. Yuri, on the other hand, was still alone. Seeing as how she's the only one without a partner, I decide to share my poem with her for the time being.

"Is this seat taken?" I ask as I approach Yuri.

"A-ah!" said Yuri, startled "N-no, you can sit down."

I take a seat in the chair, "So, how do we do this poem sharing stuff?"

"Well, we first exchange our poems with each other, read them, then give them back and exchange any sort of feedback from them."

"I see. Alright then."

We exchange poems.

* * *

Ghost under the light

The tendrils of my hair illuminate beneath the amber glow.

Bathing.

It must be this one.

The last remaining streetlight to have withstood the test of time.

The last yet to be replaced by the sickening blue-green of the future.

I bathe. Calm; breathing air of the present but living in the past.

The light flickers.

I flicker back.

* * *

...damn, it's kinda hard to read this in Yuri's handwriting. The whole poem's practically in cursive.

Though from what I can make out of it, it's has a very….mysterious tone to it. I can barely make out what some of these sentences are trying to explain. Is this how poem writing actually is?

I guess I took a while to read, because when I finally put down the poem, Yuri was already done with mine.

"I….I'm sorry for my terrible handwriting!" said Yuri.

"I-it's not terrible at all..." I respond, a bit startled.

"But it took you so long to read…"

"Don't, uh, worry about that. I tend to read kinda slow." I say "Anyways, I liked your poem."

"It wasn't too short?" Yuri asks "I usually write longer poems."

"I'd say it was fine."

If anything, I'm the one with the short poem here…

"I'm….really glad you like it. I'll be honest, since it's our first time sharing, I wanted to write something a little more mild. Something easy to digest, I suppose."

"I see. Do you like ghosts, Yuri?"

"Actually Cross, this story isn't about a ghost at all."

"It isn't?"

"Poets often express their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences in their work. They usually do more than tell a simple story, or paint a picture. In this case, perhaps the subject of the poem is only being symbolically compared to a ghost. Lingering in her last remaining place of comfort, unable to let go of the past. And soon to be left with nothing…"

"Never really thought of it that way… That's impressive."

"Eh? I-It's nothing, really! Your's was really impressive too, so…"

"Mine? Nah, I didn't think it was…" I say truthfully.

Her poems looks like it took time to make, compared to the one I just made in a couple of minutes. Even then, I had some help from Lin.

"I-I'm serious! Through your poem, it seemed as though you were trying to convey a story yourself. One that is hopeful, but at the same time somber. One that recognizes the passage of time, yet at the same time recognizes the decisions we make as humans and the mortal lives we live. A story so familiar, yet otherworldly." Yuri closes her eyes "How fascinating…"

…

"U-um! S-Sorry! It's just that your poem reminded me of some of the fantasy books I've r-read… um…"

Yuri hastily turns away from me, twirling her hair with her breathing a bit heavy.

"He must think I'm so weird…." she says in a low voice.

Looks like I need to save this situation.

"Hey, look, it's alright you feel that way about my poem. I'm glad you liked it. Besides, it looks like I could learn a thing or two from you about poem writing."

"Eh? You think so?"

"Well, I'd be interested."

"Ah…" Yuri says, calmed down "W-well, if you'd like, I would definitely help you with your poems, whenever you want me to that is."

Yuri smiles, taking a couple of deep breaths in "Y'know, I was really nervous about doing all this. But in the end, I enjoyed it. I'm going to keep doing my best for you, Cross."

"I will too."

Yuri starts twirling her hair again, "U-uhm… about earlier, with Sayori-"

Here we go…

"Look, like I said, if you're not comfortable-"

"It's not that." interrupted Yuri "It's… well…"

Not even finishing her sentence, Yuri reaches into her bag and pulls something out before

handing it to me.

"I...wanted to give you this."

It's a book, titled "The Book of Markov".

"You said you don't read much, so I got you a book. It's an easy read, but it's one of my favorites. I thought you might enjoy this."

"Wow...thanks Yuri. That's really generous of you."

"It was nothing!" said Yuri "M-maybe we could even read it together too-"

"Ahem."

I look to my right and see the rest of the girls, staring at us (Natsuki in particular…). It looked like Sayori and Monika were done presenting to each other while Natsuki was waiting.

And it seems like Yuri and I were stalling a bit.

"You guys done with your conservation already or what?" bluntly asks Natsuki.

"Oh, of course we were!" said Yuri, before hastily grabbing her stuff and moving on to another desk.

Before I react, Natsuki takes up the seat Yuri was in.

"Took you long enough." said Natsuki.

"Nice to see you too." I remark, before exchanging my poem with her.

Let's see here…

* * *

Eagles can Fly

Monkeys can climb

Crickets can leap

Horses can race

Owls can seek

Cheetahs can run

Eagles can fly

People can try

But that's about it

* * *

Not bad. More simple to read than Yuri's poem, yet I could tell there's more to this than what meets the eye…. Not completely sure what it is, though. Maybe it's about humans not being able to do as much stuff as some other animals (or in my experience, indigens).

Though I think this poem is underselling humans a bit. Humans _can_ fly, damnit! We have Skells for a reason! ….then again, I don't think Natsuki knows what Skells are.

"...Well it's about what I expected from someone like you." stated Natsuki, putting down my poem.

"Excuse me?"

"It's not like I said it was bad, it just didn't evoke any emotion is all. Heck, it sounds near soulless!"

"Well, Yuri seemed to like it."

"..."

Natsuki rolls her eyes

"Tch… whatever. I'm just saying that it needs more energy to it! Get people really thinking instead of just telling it to them directly!"

"I'll keep that in mind." I look down at Natsuki's poem "So, about your poem…"

"Ugh, I already know what you're gonna say so just spit it out alrea-"

"I liked it."

"Lemme guess, cause it was 'cute'?"

"That's not exactly my reason."

"What?" said Natsuki "Just be honest!"

There wasn't a whole lot going on with Natsuki's poem, compared to Yuri's. But then again knowing Natsuki and the difficulty she has expressing herself, there was probably more to the poem. Like some kind of hidden meaning…. Even if I can't exactly say what it was.

"I am. Even though it looks simplistic, I can tell there's some kind of deeper meaning to it."

"Oh really? What is it about then?" asked Natsuki, rather demandingly.

"Uh… I suppose it's about how all these different kinds of animals can do all these special things, while us humans can't really do as much as them on our own. Does that answer your question?"

"...the poem's not just about humans, y'know." Natsuki retorts

"Oh, it isn't?"

"No. If you were really reading it, you'd know that there's a more personal theme with what's going on in the poem."

"Well, excuse me for not reading into every single little word." I snark back.

"Argh, I knew you wouldn't get it!" said Natsuki, aggravated "The point of this poem is about giving up! Each and everyone and everything around you can do incredible things, meanwhile you can't. All you can do is try, but it amounts to nothing! Thereby implying a theme that it's better to just give up since you'll never be as good as everyone else! Do I really need to spell that out for you?"

Guess I struck a nerve….again.

"I...think I understand now."

"Was it cause my writing was too 'simple' for you to understand?"

"Not at all. I don't think having a simple writing style would invalidate what you're trying to write."

"You'd be surprised. Everyone in high school thinks writing has to be sophisticated and stuff… So people don't even take my writing seriously. But I like it when stuff easy to read, but it hits you hard. Like in this poem." Natsuki points to the bottom part of her poem "Seeing everyone around you do great things can be really disheartening… So I decided to write about it."

"I see."

Guess I underestimated her.

"But the other nice thing about simple writing is that it puts more weight on the wordplay. Like I set up for a rhyme at the end, but then made it fall flat on purpose. It helps bring out the feeling in the last line."

"I never really thought about that kind poem writing like that."

"That's what it means to be a pro!" Natsuki smiles, triumphantly "I'm glad you learned something. Didn't expect that from the youngest one here, did you?"

"Surprise, surprise..." I humor her a bit "...I think you need to learn a little more patience with people."

"Excuse me?" Natsuki asks, offended.

"You shouldn't immediately lash out at people, like you did with me. You need to give them time to figure stuff out. Make them comfortable, don't just rush and expect them to get it right away."

Reminds me of my early days as a BLADE, where Elma would often lecture other soldiers (and me…) about the importance of patience and how it impacts our survival. I think she's rubbing off on me a bit, heh heh.

"...I wouldn't have to do that if people weren't so slow to begin with… but I guess I can see what you're saying."

"Good. A person your size shouldn't have such a large temper." I say, jokingly

Natsuki gives me a somewhat dirty look for my comment before I get up and move onto the next person.

I look around and see Sayori alone. I decide to share my poem with her next.

"Hey Sayori," I say, approaching her "Ready to exchange poems?"

"Sure am!" says Sayori, excited.

I sit down and exchange poems with her.

* * *

Dear Sunshine

The way you glow through my blinds in the morning

It makes me feel like you missed me.

Kissing my forehead to help me out of bed.

Making me rub the sleepy from my eyes.

Are you asking me to come out and play?

Are you trusting me to wish away a rainy day?

I look above. The sky is blue.

It's a secret, but I trust you too.

If it wasn't for you, I could sleep forever.

But I'm not mad.

I want breakfast.

* * *

We finish at the same time.

"This is a really good poem, Cross!" said Sayori "Are you sure this is your first time writing one?"

"Well yeah, but I've got some experience in writing about this sort of stuff."

"Oh yeah, you did say that you wrote fantasy stories in your free time yesterday to Yuri. How come you never told me, though?"

"It's…. a new hobby. Yeah."

"Well alright! You should let me read one of them someday, though!"

"We'll see." I laugh, nervously.

Looks like this whole "childhood friends" thing is gonna be tough…

"So, what did you think of my poem?"

I didn't expect Sayori's poem to be so… formal. Honestly, it seemed like a mix of both Yuri's and Natsuki's. It was long and thought provoking like Yuri's, yet simple in structure like Natsuki's. But in a way, it just "sounds" like Sayori. All energetic and whatnot.

"It was a good read. I didn't know you were _this_ good at poem writing."

"Well I'm the vice president after all, that means that I always have to be on my A-game! I-I totally didn't write this all this morning."

"Nice, nice. So I take it your poem's about waking up in the morning?"

"It's not just about waking up in the morning. Everything has a deeper meaning to it, Cross! You just have to look harder at it." Sayori says, somewhat serious.

"Well, what's the deeper meaning?"

"I can't just tell you, silly! You gotta figure it out yourself!"

"Alright…. were you hungry?"

"Yeah, but I ate breakfast! I had toast and eggs this morning! But that's not the point! Think of the sunshine as something else. Almost like a metaphor…"

"Uh…"

Well, the sun seems to be acting as a personification of sorts.

"It seems like you're portraying the sun like a kind of person, and it's trying it's best to wake you up from our bed. You seem somewhat reliant on it, too."

"That's one way of interpreting the poem, I guess! Good job, Cross."

"Thanks."

"This was so much fun. This club is the best!"

"It really is, ain't it?"

"I'm gonna keep writing poems everyday to get better. And one day, I'll write the best poem ever!"

"Well, I'll be looking forward to that." I respond.

So I've presented my poem to Yuri, Natsuki, and Sayori so far. Which means there's only one person left…

Monika.

Once more, I get up from my chair and head towards her desk.

"Hey Monika."

"Hello, Cross!" she responds "How's the poem sharing so far?"

"It's been fun. I've been learning a bunch of new things from all these different poems."

Kinda makes mine look weak in comparison…

"That's great to hear! So, are you ready to read my poem?"

I nod, and exchange my poem with her.

* * *

Hole in The Wall

It couldn't have been me.

See, the direction the spackle protrudes.

A noisy neighbor? An angry boyfriend? I'll never know. I wasn't home.

I peer inside for a clue.

No! I can't see. I reel, blind, like a film left out in the sun.

But it's too late. My retinas.

Already scorched with a permanent copy of the meaningless image.

It's just a little hole. It wasn't too bright.

It was too deep.

Stretching forever into everything.

A hole of infinite choices.

I realize now, that I wasn't looking in.

I was looking out.

And he, on the other side, was looking in.

* * *

Wow, this is pretty deep. Really gets the mind thinking about what this kind of hole is. I wonder who "he" is, though.

We finish at approximately the same time.

"Great job on your poem, Cross! I was going 'Ohh' in my head while reading it."

Looks like Monika really likes my poem.

"It's really metaphorical, I guess I underestimated you!"

"Well, I like to put as much effort into something as I can…. Most of the time."

"Ahaha, I see. Y'know that Yuri likes this kind of writing, right?"

"Yeah, she seemed really into it when we shared poems earlier."

"I figured." She sets down my poem. "Writing that's full of imagery and symbolism… Unlike Sayori, who likes to use simple and direct words to describe happiness and sadness, Yuri likes it when readers are left to derive their own meaning out of it. It's very challenging to write something like that effectively. It can take years of practice, which I'm assuming Yuri has at this point."

"I'm guessing I'm still nowhere near her level…." I say, a bit dejected

"Don't feel so bad! I'm kind of on the same boat as you. In fact, I really liked your poem too! Tell me, what drove you to write something like this?"

"Well…"

Gotta say something "normal", and not something from my real life BLADE work.

"I guess I wanted to put my own special take in writing poems. Something exciting, otherworldly, and forward, yet enough to leave things up for interpretation and to keep readers invested."

"Would you say this writing is based on….something more than that?"

"What do you mean by that?" I say, confused

"Oh nothing. I just think that this poem invokes a kind of 'mundaneness' of life itself, from the way you describe things. Living your life day by day, knowing that your own single life does not matter in the grand scheme of things of the universe. If one day something happens to you, you'll know that life will go on the way it's always been and nothing will change. Your existence is practically nothing. No matter how optimistic you are, you'll hit the same roadblocks as everyone else and end up the same way as all of them… At least, that's my interpretation!"

...wow.

"Hey, don't look so glum!" reassured Monika "Sometimes these dark takes on poems are just part of the fun! They're just like theories, is all. What I'm trying to say is that I liked your poem a lot. I think it invokes a really strong message, at least for me. Ah, but don't let me keep you from writing what you want. Just keep doing your own thing, and try new things every now and then!"

"I'll keep that in mind." I look down at Monika's poem "So what made you write your poem?"

"Well, I'm not sure if I know how to put it…" said Monika, deep in thought "I guess you could say that I had some kind of epiphany recently."

"An epiphany?"

"Yeah...something like that. It's been influencing my poems a bit. I'm kind of nervous to talk about deep stuff like that, because it's kind of coming on strongly… Maybe after everyone is better friends with each other."

"Well, if it's something that's bothering you, maybe I could try to help and give some advice."

"That's awfully sweet of you, Cross. I think I might take you up on that offer one day… Anyway, here's Monika's Writing Tip of the Day!"

Monika sits more upright, with her right index finger pointing out.

"Sometimes when you're writing a poem - or a story - your brain gets too fixated on a specific point… If you try so hard to make it perfect, then you'll never make any progress. Just force yourself to get something down on the paper, and tidy it up later! Another way to think about it is this. If you keep your pen in the same spot for too long, you'll just get a big dark puddle of ink. So just move your hand, and go with the flow! That's my advice for today! Thanks for listening~!"

She ends with a small smile.

"And I can't wait to see you again."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, I suppose it's time for me to address a couple of things and answer a couple of questions.**

 **1\. Cross is an amnesiac. He has no memory of his past life on Earth. Though this bother him at times, he tries to make the best of his current life.**

 **2\. Mira is the planet the humans landed on through the White Whale, one of the ships deployed after Earth's destruction from the Ganglion forces.**

 **3\. BLADE is an acronym for Builders of the Legacy After the Destruction of Earth. BLADEs act as soldiers and patrol all around Mira and climate threats to ensure humanity's survival.**

 **4\. Cross is apart of Team Elma, consisting of Elma (the team leader), Lin, Tatsu (a teenage Nopon, the "mascot"", and Cross himself.**

 **5\. The story takes place a couple of months past the end of Xenoblade Chronicles X. I won't spoil what happens exactly.**

 **Acnoduin: Yes it is!**

 **ptl: Quentin's a weird guy, what he can say? And yes the simulation has a recording feature.**

 **JustLuck:**

 **1\. That's a secret**

 **2\. In a way, yes. Though they still will be able to interact with him normally and hide that** **fact.**


	7. Chapter 7: Poem Conflict

**Note: I do not own either Xenoblade Chronicles X or Doki Doki Literature Club. All rights of Xenoblade Chronicles X and its characters long to Monolith Soft while all rights to Doki Doki Literature Club and its characters belong to Dan Salvato, along with some of the dialogue used in this story.**

* * *

I lean back in my chair and stretch for a bit. I feel kinda strained from all this sitting around. Whether it applies to this simulated body or my actual one, I have no clue. All I know is that after this, I'm gonna have to do workouts.

"Had a long day?" asked Monika, organizing her papers.

"I've been pulling through." I respond "Never thought this whole 'poem-sharing' stuff would be so exhausting."

"I'm sure you'll get used to it. It's a lot of fun once you get really into it."

I nod. I turn my head to look around the classroom and see Yuri and Natsuki sharing their poems with each other.

Natsuki furrowed in frustration while reading the poem. Meanwhile, Yuri was showing signs of disappointment while reading.

"So Cross," said Monika "How about you tell me a couple of things about yourself?"

"Huh?" I respond, turning my attention back to her.

"Well since you're apart of the club now, I think it'd be nice for the rest of us to get to know you better. Of course you're already close with Sayori, but who's to say you can't open up to the rest of us?"

"Well to be fair, I don't know much about you guys either."

Monika gives a soft laugh "Fair point. Well, I guess I can start. As you know, my name's Monika. I'm a gal who likes to give it her all no matter what! I am very passionate in what I believe in, and try to help others understand things from my point of view. That's not to say I won't understand things from their perspective either, haha! I also like playing piano in my past time."

"Piano, huh? Do you practice with pre-existing songs or do you make your own?"

"A little bit of both, actually. In fact, I've been practicing this one original song of mine for quite a while. I've been trying to get the correct tones down, but so far-"

"Excuse me?" Natsuki shouted, annoyed "Cute? Did you even read the poem? Did you completely miss the symbolism? It's clearly about the feeling of giving up. How can that be cute?"

Monika and I turn our attentions to the commotion.

"I-I know that!" responded Yuri, defensively "I was just trying to say something nice…"

Seems like Yuri and Natsuki were arguing over their different poems.

"Nice? So it was that hard for you to come up with something _nice_ to say about my poem? Thanks, but it didn't come out nice at all!"

"Umm… well, I do have some suggestions." Yuri suggested

"If I was looking for suggestions, I would've asked someone who actually liked my poem. Which people _did_ by the way! Sayori liked it. And so did Cross!" Natsuki spat with anger

 _Why are you involving me in this?_ I think to myself, annoyed

"In fact, I'll gladly give you some suggestions of my own. First off-"

"Excuse me, but I do not need any suggestions." interrupted Yuri "I appreciate the offer, but I have spent a long time establishing my writing style. And I don't expect to change it anytime soon. Besides, Cross liked my poem too y'know."

 _Not you too, Yuri…_

"Oh?" Natsuki stands up "I didn't realize you were so invested in trying to impress our new member, Yuri."

"That's not what I…. uhh… Y-you're…"

Yuri's trying to find her words.

"You're just…" Yuri stands up "You're just jealous that Cross appreciate my advice more than yours!"

"Umm, girls…" said Monika, attempting to intervene.

"And how would you know that? What if he appreciated my advice better than yours? Are you that full of yourself?"

"Ummmm…" Sayori is at a lost for words "I don't like fighting, guys!"

"No… If I was full of myself… I would deliberately go out of my way to make everything I do overly cutesy!"

"Y-you!" Natsuki is practically steaming with rage "Well, y'know what?! I wasn't the one whose boobs magically grew a size bigger as soon as Cross started showing up!"

"Natsuki!" exclaimed Monika.

Both of them briefly turn to Monika's direction, before running up to me once they spot me past Monika.

"C-Cross!" says Yuri "Natsuki's just trying to make me look bad! Don't listen to her!"

"That's not true!" Natsuki shot back "She's the one who started it! If she could get over herself and learn to appreciate that simple writing is more effective, then we wouldn't be having this argument in the first place! What's the point in making your poems all convoluted for no reason? The meaning should jump out at the reader, not force them to have to figure it out."

Natsuki leans closer towards me.

"Help me explain that to her, Cross!"

"Wait!" Yuri interjected "There's a reason we have so many deep and expressive words in our language! It's the only way to convey complex feelings and meaning the most effectively. Avoiding them is not only unnecessarily limiting yourself… it's also a waste!

Yuri inches closer towards me.

"You understand that, right Cross?"

Both of them stare at me intently, trying to get me on either of their sides and oppose the other.

… How'd I get myself into this mess?

"That is _enough_ , both of you!" Monika suddenly shouted "We're not even in the first week of this club, and you two are already bickering! _And_ trying to involve our newest member in your little squabble, nonetheless!" Monika faces Yuri "Yuri, you're a very talented writer. I know you have years of experience in writing poems, but don't belittle Natsuki for having a more simple style of writing compared to yours."

"I...I wasn't trying to belittle her…" said Yuri.

"But you made her feel that way." said Monika "We're here in the literature club to build upon each other, not bring each other down. Even if you don't agree with Natsuki's style of writing, at least give her comfortable feedback to make her feel more confident in her writing."

Monika turns to Natsuki.

"Now as for you Natsuki, I understand what you're trying to do with your poem style. In fact, I think it's wonderful. The problem, however, is your temper. I know how angry you can get if someone doesn't agree with you or if things don't go your way, but don't go lashing out so quickly. It makes everyone uncomfortable and no one wins. Learn how to be more patient. Understand what the other person, in this case Yuri, is saying and where they're coming from with their feedback. Whether you agree or not is a different story, but at least try and understand." Monika turns to me "I'm sure Cross has already told you this earlier, didn't he?"

Natsuki briefly looks at me, before turning away.

"...she started it." Natsuki muttered

"But does that make what you said to her okay?"

"...no."

"Exactly. Now please, apologize to each other." said Monika.

Both of them turn to each other.

"...sorry." said Natsuki in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, too. I-I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable…" said Yuri.

"...it's whatever." responded Natsuki, before walking back to her desk.

The room goes silent for a couple of minutes. Natsuki and Yuri were putting their things away, Sayori looked at the two confused and worried, while Monika stood with her eyes closed, thinking for a bit (and looking a bit tense) before looking at the clock.

"Oh, would you look at that? It's just about time for us to leave." Monika went up to the front of the classroom "Okay everyone! How did you all feel about sharing your poems?"

….

Almost none of them are responding.

"...I thought it was a fun learning experience." I spoke up.

"...me too." said Yuri.

"It was a lot of fun, Monika." responded Sayori.

"It was alright. Well, most of it."

"Glad to hear! In that case, we'll be doing the same thing tomorrow. That way, all of us can become better writers from learning from one another! Make sure to have your poems ready tomorrow. Try to do something new!"

We all resume to packing our things up. The room is still somewhat tense, except for Sayori trying to check up on Yuri and Natsuki.

"Are you okay, Natsuki?"

"I'm fine." said Natsuki, packing her things up "Just need some space for a while, is all."

"Okay! If you need anything, make sure to tell me. And are you doing okay, Yuri?"

"I'm fine, thank you Sayori." said Yuri

"I'm glad! If you ever want to talk, just let me know."

"I-I will, thank you."

Nice of Sayori to check up on other people. She really does look out for everyone in the club.

"Ready to go, Cross?"

I look over to Monika, who was still looking somewhat tense.

I decide to check up on her.

"In a bit. I'm gonna see how Monika's doing."

"Okay! I'll wait for you outside the classroom."

I make my way over to Monika.

"You doing alright?"

"Oh, Cross! Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit stressed out, is all. Heh heh…"

"Does that thing between Yuri and Natsuki happen often?" I ask, curious.

"No! Well, um... Some moments they get along great. Other times, not so much. It's a bit of a hassle to deal with their arguments, sometimes. Really wants to make me pull my hair out at times…" Monika looks down

That bad, huh?

"Well, I thought you did a great job handling the situation. You were as neutral as you could be and gave both of them proper criticisms. I'd say that what makes a good leader."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it. Managing a club can be hard at times, but in the end the progress you make with others makes it all the more worth it. I just gotta pull through!" Monika smiles, striking a small pose "Ah! And don't get the wrong idea about Yuri and Natsuki. They're really great people, trust me. That was just me being frustrated, haha! They just don't get along as often, is all."

"Heh heh, don't worry. I know what it's like dealing with teammates that have disagreements all the time, so I understand where you're coming from."

I recall back to my previous experiences with working with other BLADEs various times and how well they can manage together (Such as Alexa and Lin and, surprisingly, Hope and the Murderess) ….or how much they can absolutely loathe one another (Irina and Frye, and anyone with H.B. or Yelv, really).

"That's interesting. What kind of team were you on? A sports team?"

"Oh, uh…"

Why do I keep doing this…

"An out-of-school team."

"What kind?"

"Ah, the name and activity escapes my memory, y'know?"

Monika stares at me briefly, before merely smiling, "You're a very strange person, aren't you Cross?"

This whole place is strange if you ask me.

"Well it's getting late. You probably shouldn't keep Sayori waiting any longer, now should you?"

Oh crap that's right, Sayori.

"Oh right! I should probably get going now. I'll see ya tomorrow!" I wave to Monika, rushing out the door.

"Bye! Nice talking with ya!" Monika waves back.

I run out the classroom and find Sayori just a couple of feet outside, waiting.

"Sorry about that. Hope I didn't make you wait too long."

"It's okay!" reassured Sayori with her usual smiles " Now we can go home."

We walk out the school. It seemed to be near evening, as the sun was about to set soon. I take in the scenery again, and how peaceful it all looks. I wonder if this is how Earth neighborhoods typically were. If so, I like it.

"Did you have fun today?" asked Sayori.

"Definitely. I feel like I learned quite a bit."

"That's great. Soon you'll be a poem expert!"

"Well, I wouldn't go _that_ far, heh heh. Hopefully tomorrow will be less tense, considering what happened between Yuri and Natsuki."

"Oh right, that. I've never seen them argue like that before. I wonder what got into them…"

"Do they just not like each other?" I ask.

"No! They get along great! It's just that sometimes, they have their differences in what they like or think."

"I see. That's what Monika said too. Well, I guess it's best not to dwell on it too much for the time being. No use worrying about it now if that sort of thing happens from time to time."

"I hope you don't think too badly of them after what happened…"

"Don't worry, I won't hold it against them."

"That's great! It seems like both of them really want to be friends with you, too."

After a bit more walking, we arrive at our houses.

"Cya tomorrow, Sayori." I wave, as I enter mine.

"Bye Cross! I'll be sure to surprise you with an exciting poem tomorrow!"

Well it's not really a surprise if you say what it is already…

I walk into the house, still looking as big and empty as it was the last time I was here. Despite that, it looked relatively nice. Got a bit of a Japanese theme going for it. In fact, this whole simulation seems Japanese themed. Is that just a common thing in these visual novels? Maybe Lin knows more about these kinds of things. Or Boze, even.

" _HOW'RE YOU DOING?"_

"GAAAH!" I yell at the sudden voice, doubling back a bit. What the hell was that loud, booming voice? Sounded like- oh wait….

Quinten.

"What the hell was that?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I exclaim.

"Sorry, speaker volume was turned up too high." said Quentin, in a more reduced voice. "So how are you doing?"

"Outside of that little surprise, great. This simulation is really immersive. I'm liking the interactions so far with the other girls. All of it feels natural."

"Good. Glad to know that all the hard work I've poured into this simulation has finally-"

Suddenly, there's a loud knocking on the door, cutting Quentin off. Instinctively, I open it. On the other side is Sayori, with a worried look on her face

"Are you okay?!" asked Sayori "I heard you screaming from here!"

Must've been from Quentin's loud entrance.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I reassured her, trying to save face "There was a bug that flew in, is all." I laugh nervously.

Sayori looked around, confused "But the windows are all closed."

"Must've been a roach then, heh heh." I laugh, still trying to save face "Anyways, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about here."

Sayori gives me one long look.

"...well, okay then. But if there's anything you need, just let me know. I'm always happy to help you whenever!" said Sayori, returning to her usual demeanor.

"Yeah I will. See you tomorrow." I wave, closing the door.

…

"...perhaps we should continue this discussion in my lab."

"You think?" I snark.

"Enough with the attitude already and just exit the simulation. You can do so from the menu."

I raise my left index finger to pull up the menu, stopping the game.

I tap the appropriate menus and save my game in the slot next to my save from before. Afterwards, I tap on the exit menu.

"Are you sure?"

Yes No

I tap on 'yes'. Suddenly, everything around me blurs into a white glow before turning completely black. Meanwhile I begin to lose a bit of consciousness once again, only this time it's not as bad, as if I could feel the transition of eturning back to my Mimesome body.

A few seconds later, I open my eyes and see the visor in my view slowing retracting upwards. I begin sitting up from the chair, trying to readjust back into my usual body. Meanwhile, Quentin was sitting in his chair next to the monitor.

"Excellent work. You made great progress, and provided me some good gameplay data for analysis."

"Glad to hear." I respond, still a bit groggy. "But the transition between coming in and out of the simulation could be better. I feel like I'm about to throw up…"

"Noted. Anyways, I will forward your payment to your account sometime this week. I will still need to make a couple more adjustments to the simulation, so I'll let you know when you can come back for another round. Feel free to make another pre-made poem, if you choose to do so."

I nod, gathering my things and making my way out of Quentin's lab. I really hope he fixes the whole "dropping in-and-out of consciousness" transition. And hopefully no one will start to get suspicious of my disappearances, if this simulation job is going to be a regular thing.


	8. Chapter 8: New Day, New Life

**Note: I do not own either Xenoblade Chronicles X or Doki Doki Literature Club. All rights of Xenoblade Chronicles X and its characters long to Monolith Soft while all rights to Doki Doki Literature Club and its characters belong to Dan Salvato, along with some of the dialogue used in this story.**

* * *

It hadn't even been a week yet when Quentin contacted me about the simulation being ready for another go. In what free time I had, I used it to try and create a new poem for better immersion.

This time, I decided to make one similar to Natsuki's style of writing, to spice things up. Can't be dramatic and complex all the time, gotta have some simplicity and fun here and there.

Regardless, tonight I had some off time which meant that I could go and run the simulation again. I start making my wait out the door.

"Oh? What are you up to this time?" asked Lin, reading her magazine, yet still catching me going out.

"Just hanging out with a couple of the guys." I respond with a coverup, casually.

"Alright then. Have fun."

Good. Usually Lin likes to pry into my personal business every now and then, asking what I'm doing, who I'm hanging out with, etc. It's kind of annoying, but I'm used to it. It must be what having a little sister is like, always so curious and invasive. Though I'm just glad I don't have to worry about her for the time being.

* * *

….

I open my eyes and find myself back in the same house, in the same spot, with the same uniform….. Do I ever need to change out of this thing? Well, it doesn't smell, but still.

"Sit tight, I'll be scanning your poem into the system."

I take this time to wander around the house, to get a better feel for my surroundings. The kitchen looked pretty standard, pretty fancy even. Everything in the main living room looked clean and neat, as if no one ever touched anything. Though granted, I actually haven't during my time here….. Am I just living in this house by myself?

I come across some photographs of Sayori and…. Photoshopped pictures of me. They look a bit awkward, but I can see where Quentin was trying to go for with them. Gotta show that whole "childhood friends" thing somehow.

…. I really wonder what it's actually like having a childhood friend. I rarely hear about any in New LA that aren't just fond memories of the past. Because of my amnesia, I can't really recall having any sort of friends as a kid. Or even being a kid. But still, knowing someone ever since you were kids, growing up together overtime, the familiarity between the two of you... I'm guessing that's a special feeling to have.

... maybe with this simulation, I can try to emulate that feeling.

"Okay, it's done. On the table next to you."

I look over to see my newly-inserted poem on the table and stuff it in my backpack. I also noticed that the time changed from night to morning, once again.

"By the way, I'll be taking more of an observer role this session. So from here on till the end, you won't hear a peep from me."

I nod. I exit out of the house into the bright, early dawn. Judging from the sun, it's usually the time Sayori and I walk to school. I expect to see Sayori outside as well, but she wasn't there. Well, it's still early in the morning. I decided to wait for a couple of minutes.

….

Five minutes, and still nothing. I even knocked on the door a couple of times and called for her.

Eventually after a few more minutes, I give up. Either she's sleeping like a log or she's already at school.

Sighing, I reluctantly walk my way to the school, all on my lonesome. It's pretty much a straight bee line towards the school, so it's not like I'll be lost. It's strangely quiet without having Sayori to talk to.

* * *

After the boring classes, I walk into the club, seeing that Natsuki and Yuri were the ones in the room. Yuri gives me a small wave before returning to her book, while Natsuki gives me a side glance before returning to her manga.

I place my stuff down at a nearby desk. I glance at the book Yuri was reading. It looked like the one she gave me yesterday. Well, _in-game_ yesterday… I think I also remember her saying she wanted me to read it with me too.

Now, I'm not much of a reader, outside of some comics here and there and the occasional reports. I never found much interest in books. I get bored of how it's just words. No pictures, images, nothing. But since I got some time, I might as well read the book with her as a courtesy.

"Hey Yuri." I approach, book in hand.

"Oh, h-hello Cross."

"Do you want to read together?" I ask, showing my book to her.

"E-eh?" stuttered Yuri "Together?"

"You said you wanted me to read the book with you."

"U-uhh..." Yuri seems to be finding her words "That...that was just a suggestion...you might not like the book. A-and I don't want to bore you with something you wouldn't enjoy…"

"I got some time to kill, I don't mind." I respond "Mind if I sit here?" gesturing to the seat next to her

"N-not at all…"

I sit and start skimming to the first page of the book, "So what's the book about?"

"Well…." Yuri closes her book "It's about this girl in high school who moves in with her long-lost younger sister… But as soon as she does so, her life gets really strange. She gets targeted by these people who escaped from a human experiment prison… And while her life is in danger, she needs to desperately choose who to trust. No matter what she does, she ends up destroying most of her relationships and her life starts to fall apart…"

"That… sounds pretty dark, actually."

"Ahaha." Yuri giggles "Are you not a fan of that sort of thing, Cross?"

"No, but I'm surprised you are."

Yuri's so shy, but her interests are really dark. Makes me wonder what exactly goes through her mind at times.

"It's just that those kinds of stories… They challenge you to look at life from a strange new perspective."

"Strange new perspective?"

Yuri nods "When horrible things happen not just because someone wants to be evil… But because they have their own goals, or their own philosophy that they believe in. Then suddenly, when you thought you related to the protagonist… They're made out to be the naive one for letting their one-sided morals interfere with the villain's plans. I'm… I'm rambling, aren't I...? I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize. I was listening, don't worry."

I could relate a thing or two to the "horrible things" part. I can't count the number of times something terrible happened in New LA because someone was going through an emotional episode or just doing what they genuinely thought was the right thing. Going against humanity, killing other xeno races, not just because they wanted to be the bad guy for the day (well, except for this one guy…). It's through these conflicts that taught me just how grey a lot of these situations are, and that no one is truly a "bad guy" or even a "good guy" at times. Hell, I can't count the number of times I was being taken advantage of just cause I was trying to do the right thing...

"Is something wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Y-you look lost in thought."

"Ah, sorry. I was just... thinking about what you said."

"Oh… So, you know what I was saying then?"

"In a way, yeah."

"Ah…" Yuri smiles "I'm… glad to know there is someone who can understand some of my passions. Speaking of which Cross, I remember a couple of days ago you said you knew some fantasy stories?"

Oh that's right, I did mention that when I first came into the simulation. It was mostly just on a whim, but that's not to say that I was a liar. I got plenty of Miran adventures I could talk about.

"That's right." I confirm.

"Could you… possibly tell one to me?"

"But, I thought you wanted to read the book?"

"I've read it countless times already. I was rereading it to go back to the more interesting parts of the novel. U-unless you want to read it!"

"Well…" I look down at the book.

 _Portrait of Markov_ , coupled with a rather large eye on the cover. Seems interesting, but I think I would prefer telling Yuri one of my stories.

"I could read it some other time. I'd be glad to tell you one of my tales right now."

"Ah, that'd be great." Yuri positioned her seat to be right across from mine, as if we were already presenting poems, eager to listen.

Where to start….

"Once upon a time…"

Cliche, I know…

"There was a….. hunter. He lived on a world full of dangerous wildlife and terrible environments. He was told since birth that he had to fight to survive on the harsh planet, but he didn't always listen. He wanted to show compassion to the world in hopes of resolving conflicts without the need for violence. One day, he was tasked by his fellow huntsmen to clear out a small cave for its resources. When he arrived, all he could find were five small pig-like creatures called suids. Despite being told to clear the cave, the hunter could not bring himself to slaughter the defenseless animals and left them be, thinking that such innocent things could bear no harm to anyone. He left the suids be while he returned to his tribe, and convinced them that they were nothing to worry about."

I pause briefly.

"What he failed to realize, however….. was that suids grow up quickly and become violent beasts that attack anything in sight. So weeks later, the hunter went to investigate a large commotion near the cave, only to find the bodies of his fellow hunters dead all around. The culprits? The suids, now all grown up. The hunter then slayed all the suids, but the damage was already done. His fellow hunters had been killed, all because he was unwilling to kill the source when it was at its weakest."

I shifted in my chair a bit.

"Moral of the story is: Sometimes you need to make tough decisions and follow through with them, even if you don't agree with it. "

Geez, telling that story felt like reliving a nightmare. But once I started, I couldn't stop.

Especially since….. that was all based on me. I was the one who made that mistake, and my fellow BLADE soldiers paid the price for it. Ever since then, I swore to myself I wouldn't let my weaknesses get the best of me in these situations. I swore to myself that I would do what was necessary to carry out our survival on Mira, even if it meant killing.

"My… that was truly an interesting story, Cross" Yuri praised me "The exposition… The moral of the tale…. The consequences… All of it, very thought provoking."

"Thanks." I smile, weakly "I try."

"Are you okay? You look a bit pale… Would you like some tea?"

I guess retelling that tale left me a bit spooked. Though, I am a bit thirsty.

"Sure." I nod "You have some on you?"

"I would have to make it, but the process will not take long… All I need to do is get some water from one of the water fountains, heat it up, then mix it with the tea packet in the cup. Even if I am late, I am sure Monika will not mind."

"Oh. I'd hate for you to go through all that trouble just me, though."

"I-I don't mind…" Yuri smiles. I smile back.

"Okay everyone!" said Monika "It's time to present out poems!"

I just noticed Monika and Sayori were in the classroom now, while Natsuki was still by the closet, reading her manga.

"Um… Monika…" Yuri said "If I may, could I be excused for a few minutes to get some water to make tea?"

"Eh? But Yuri, we're about to start. And you had plenty of time beforehand-"

"It will not take long." Yuri interrupted "Please. I will make sure to be quick about it."

"Hm…" Monika was thinking to herself, before turning back to Yuri "Okay, but make sure to bring enough for everyone!"

"Thank you." Yuri bowed.

Yuri then went to gather her tea-making things while the rest of us got our stuff ready for the poem sharing.

I decide to share my poem with Sayori first.

* * *

"Hey Sayori."

"Hi Cross!"

"I didn't see you this morning. Did you sleep in late?" I ask

"Y-yeah, I did. I was just too busy with my schoolwork and making my poem that I fell asleep so late." Sayori laughs

"Well, I hope that doesn't happen again. It's not good to sleep in on these kinds of days. Besides, it's always nice talking with you on the way to school each morning."

Sayori remains silent.

"...yeah." she mutters, before returning to her usual smile "Anyways, let's present our poems!"

We exchange poems.

 _ **Bottles**_

I pop off my scalp like the lid of a cookie jar.

It's the secret place where I keep all my dreams.

Little balls of sunshine, all rubbing together like a bundle of kittens.

I reach inside with my thumb and forefinger and pluck one out.

It's warm and tingly.

But there's no time to waste! I put it in a bottle to keep it safe.

And I put the bottle on the shelf with all of the other bottles.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts in bottles, all in a row.

My collection makes me lots of friends.

Each bottle a starlight to make amends.

Sometimes my friend feels a certain way.

Down comes a bottle to save the day.

Night after night, more dreams.

Friend after friend, more bottles.

Deeper and deeper my fingers go.

Like exploring a dark cave, discovering the secrets hiding in the nooks and crannies.

Digging and digging.

Scraping and scraping.

I blow dust off my bottle caps.

It doesn't feel like time elapsed.

My empty shelf could use some more.

My friends look through my locked front door.

Finally, all done. I open up, and in come my friends.

In they come, in such a hurry. Do they want my bottles that much?

I frantically pull them from the shelf, one after the other.

Holding them out to each and every friend.

Each and every bottle.

But every time I let one go, it shatters against the tile between my feet.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts in shards, all over the floor.

They were supposed to be for my friends, my friends who aren't smiling.

They're all shouting, pleading. Something.

But all I hear is echo, echo, echo, echo, echo

Inside my head.

…

This is a lot longer than her poem from yesterday. She must have put a lot of time into this one. Yet despite that, I have no idea what it's talking about. It mentions dreams at the beginning, but then it seems to end on a sad note. The words 'dreams', 'bottles', and 'friends' get mentioned a lot, maybe those are part of the poem's central theme.

I look up to see Sayori, patiently waiting for me.

"Your poem sure is different from the one you had yesterday." said Sayori

"I was thinking about trying something new. Something, not too grim." I respond "Is it good?"

"Yeah, it is! I liked that you were trying to emulate Natsuki's writing style. Simple sentences that still hold a lot of meaning. You're on your way to becoming a true poem master!" Sayori smiles

I chuckle, "Thanks, I try. Yours was good, too."

As I say that, I see Sayori's smile lower a bit.

"So about your poem," I start "I see that this person is creating dreams, and putting them into bottles to give to their friends. But, these friends keep taking so many bottles, so the person has to create more dreams, which is causing them lots of stress. Am I correct?"

Sayori nods.

"So, the central theme of the poem is that you can't please everyone?"

"That's one interpretation!" said Sayori

"Oh? Then, what's the main message or theme of the poem?"

"There is none! Poems are not just straightforward, they can be vague enough to leave things up to the reader's imagination. By doing so, it lets readers form their own meaning of the poem to share with others."

"But, this poem seems very detailed."

"Like I said, silly," retorted Sayori, a bit serious "Poems aren't always straightforward. The words are just there to give readers more ideas."

"Ah, I see."

A moment of silence elapses the both of us. I turn to see Monika and Natsuki still talking, while Yuri had come back with the water to make the tea.

I decide to ask Sayori about details of our supposed childhood friendship.

"Sayori." I say, breaking the silence

"Hmm?"

"How long have we known each other?" I ask

"Hmm…" Sayori tilts her head "Ever since we were 5."

"And we lived next to each other ever since then?"

"Yep! We used to play all the time when we were little! At your house, at my house, at the park, everywhere!" Sayori said with a smile, "Sometimes one of us would get hurt or we would fight over something, but we would always make up and keep playing!"

The smile turned into a frown, "But ever since we got to high school, you've always wanted to just stay in your room while I wanted to get involved in a club."

"I see…"

I guess my "past self" was a shut in. Makes me wonder how that came to be.

"I thought we would be drifting apart from there, but since you're part of the Literature Club now, I don't have to worry about that!" Sayori returned to her cheerful self "You can spend more time with me now! And Monika! And Yuri! And Natsuki!"

"Yeah, I'm glad to be spending time with you again. And with the other girls." I respond

"Are you getting along with the other girls too?"

"Yup."

"Good. I'm glad." Sayori smiled, before frowning "I wish it can always be like this…"

Before I could continue the conversation, Yuri comes up to us with cups of tea on a tray.

"The tea is ready. I-I'm sorry for the wait…" Yuri said as she handed us the tea

"You don't have to apologize." I grab one of the cups "Thank you."

"Thanks, Yuri!" exclaimed Sayori

Yuri bowed, "You're welcome. Now, who will I share my poem with first?"

"You can start with Cross. I'll go over to Natsuki and Monika." said Sayori

Before I can even say anything, Sayori immediately gets up and takes her stuff over to where Natsuki and Monika are.

I drink the tea as Yuri situates herself. It tastes like green leaf, with a hint of mint. It's surprisingly very good, and relaxing.

"Are you feeling better now?" asked Yuri

I nod. Though my talk with Sayori left me a bit uneasy.

"...you should not be in here. How did you eve….."

I pause. That sounded like Quentin's voice. Sounds like trouble.

I put down my tea and lift my finger to pause the game. I select the right menus to save the game, and exit out of the simulation. Dizzy sensation and all.

….

I slowly come back into consciousness to see Quentin talking to someone. I slowly get up from my seat to see what the fuss was about.

As I regain my vision, I begin to recognize a familiar face,

"Lin?"


End file.
